568 West 171st Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

The 5-story, 9-unit tenement building at 568 West 171st Street, owned by Maria Boustead and constructed in 1910, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent years, with particular emphasis on rodent infestations and various building violations. Most notably, there has been an ongoing rodent problem throughout 2024, with multiple complaints and inspections revealing rat activity even as recently as October 2024.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted numerous inspections, with most finding rat activity or requiring bait application, though one inspection in December 2023 did pass without issues. The building has also faced various habitability concerns, including a cluster of complaints in September 2023 regarding mold, stair conditions, electrical outlets, wall finishes, and water leaks, all of which were investigated by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) but did not result in violations being issued. The property has several open violations from previous years that remain unresolved, dating back to a July 2018 inspection.

These include requirements to post proper signage for building management contact information at the first story entrance, maintain fire escape safety, repair or replace damaged stair treads on multiple stories, and address deficiencies in the fifth-story public hall ceiling. While the building's bedbug reports from 2019 through 2024 show no infestations, with zero units affected each year, the ongoing rodent issues suggest persistent maintenance challenges. The building has undergone annual tenant safety inspections, with the most recent in 2023 showing no violations, indicating some level of compliance with safety requirements despite the ongoing maintenance concerns.